Salt Lake City Entry Requirements
Visa, immigration, and customs information
Visa Requirements
Entry permissions vary by nationality. Find your category below.
US citizens and Canadian citizens do not need a visa or ESTA to enter the United States. Canadian citizens show valid Canadian passports at the border. US citizens returning from abroad clear CBP under the US citizen lane.
Canadian citizens must carry a valid Canadian passport, or, for land/sea entry, an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or NEXUS card. They do not need an ESTA. Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) of the US also use a separate re-entry process.
Ninety visa-free days in the United States, if you're from one of 42 countries in the US Visa Waiver Program, that's yours. But don't even think of boarding without an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA isn't a visa; it is an electronic pre-screening authorization. File online, only at the official CBP portal, esta.cbp.dhs.gov, and expect a verdict within 72 hours. Instant approvals? Common.
Cost: USD $21 per application (as of 2026). That is the bottom line. Four dollars vanishes, gone, even if they reject you. The rest, $17, funds travel promotion.
ESTA won't get you through the door. A CBP officer decides at the port of entry, period. VWP travelers can't push past 90 days, switch to most other immigration statuses while inside the US, or work under VWP status. Denied a visa before or refused entry to the US? You'll need a B-2 visa, nationality notwithstanding.
Most travelers can't just show up. Nationals of all countries not listed in the Visa Waiver Program must apply for a B-2 Nonimmigrant Tourist Visa before traveling to the United States. This includes most of Africa, much of Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. The B-2 visa covers tourism, vacation, visiting friends and family, and medical treatment.
A visa from the US won't get you past the booth. Consular officers want proof you'll fly home, so show land, a job, kids, anything that drags you back. Pack the folder: six months of bank statements, a boss-signed letter, day-by-day travel plan, paid hotel print-outs, plus the deed, the lease, the wedding certificate. Interview queues at some consulates stretch for weeks, check the live clock at travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html before you book the flight.
Arrival Process
Fly into Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and you'll still face US Customs and Border Protection, just later. Connect via Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York and you clear immigration at that first US stop, re-check bags, then walk straight onto the Salt Lake flight. No second screening. Land directly at SLC and you'll do the full customs dance on the spot.
Documents to Have Ready
Tips for Smooth Entry
Customs & Duty-Free
Declare everything. US Customs and Border Protection doesn't mess around, what you bring in matters. All international travelers entering Salt Lake City must complete CBP Declaration Form 6059B. This rule applies whether you're landing directly at SLC Airport or clearing customs at another US gateway first. The US runs rigorous agricultural inspection to protect domestic agriculture from foreign pests and diseases. Food items get the closest look, expect scrutiny.
Prohibited Items
- Fresh fruit, vegetables, plants, and cuttings, banned. They're a direct threat to US agriculture. Dried, canned, or commercially processed foods? Allowed, but you must declare them. No exceptions.
- Meat and poultry from countries with foot-and-mouth disease or other animal diseases must be declared. Always.
- Soil and sand, risk of carrying foreign agricultural pests or pathogens
- Marijuana is still Schedule I, federal law rules. Utah isn't a recreational cannabis state, period.
- Firearms and ammunition won't clear US customs without prior ATF import authorization, and full compliance with federal law.
- Counterfeit goods, pirated media, and items infringing US trademark or copyright law
- Ivory, exotic-skin bags, coral necklaces, tortoiseshell shades, CITES says no. Those trinkets you didn't buy? They're still listed.
- Obscene material and child pornography
- Commercial importation of Cuban cigars remains restricted. Personal use quantities? Allowed. Exceed that, and you're in trouble.
- Goods manufactured in sanctioned countries under OFAC restrictions (certain North Korean, Iranian, Syrian goods)
Restricted Items
- Pack your pills the right way or customs will keep them. Prescription medications must travel in the original pharmacy-labeled container, no daily pill organizers, no ziplocs. Bring the prescription itself or a physician's letter; officers ask for paperwork more often than you'd think. Limit yourself to a 90-day supply or less; that's the standard cutoff, and anything beyond it raises red flags. Remember, some US-prescribed drugs count as controlled substances abroad. Each country slaps its own quantity limits on them, so check before you fly.
- US citizens can legally import firearms and ammo, if they've filed ATF Form 6. Visitors can too. But only for sport and only with prior clearance.
- Fresh cheeses and dairy from countries with certain animal diseases, check CBP's permitted items list
- Live animals and birds, USDA, US Fish and Wildlife, and maybe CDC permits. Species decides.
- Absinthe exceeding thujone-free formulas, regulated by the TTB
- Kinder Surprise Eggs, chocolate shells with a non-edible toy tucked inside, won't clear U.S. customs. The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act bans them outright.
- Personal-use quantities of trademarked luxuries slide through customs. Bring crates of Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Hermès and you'll need import papers, no exceptions.
Health Requirements
The United States doesn't demand shots, yet. Most international visitors arriving from standard origins face zero mandatory vaccination rules. The CDC and Department of Homeland Security call the shots on health entry rules. These rules can shift overnight when public health situations evolve.
Required Vaccinations
- Yellow Fever proof isn't optional. Arrive from sub-Saharan Africa or South America without it and you'll turn back. The CDC decides which countries make their risk list, check wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel before you book.
- Childhood shots (MMR, DTP, Polio, Varicella) aren't for you, unless you're immigrating or on certain visas. Tourists with B-2 stamps or ESTA clearance won't be asked.
- COVID rules? Gone. As of March 2026, you won't need proof of vaccination or a negative test to walk into the United States. The Biden-era mandates, those testing and vaccination requirements, were fully rescinded back in 2023.
Recommended Vaccinations
- Before you board, get your shots. Routine vaccinations aren't optional, they're essential. Update MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis), varicella (chickenpox), and the annual influenza vaccine. International travel demands this.
- COVID-19: The CDC still urges travelers to stay current with COVID-19 vaccination. Entry requirement? Gone.
- Hepatitis An and B, get both. Street food in Bangkok, tapas in Barcelona, clinic visits anywhere. These shots cover you.
- Meningococcal vaccine: Get it if you'll be shoulder-to-shoulder with locals, or anywhere packed.
- Rabies: You'll need the shot if you're planning to hike, bike, or camp around Salt Lake City, the city sits ring-shaped by wilderness crawling with foxes, raccoons, and the occasional skunk.
Health Insurance
$1,000, $3,000. That's the bill for walking into a US emergency room before anyone treats you. Hospitalization? $5,000, $10,000+ per day. The United States does not have universal healthcare, and medical costs are among the highest in the world. Travel health insurance is STRONGLY recommended for all international visitors. Buy a policy that covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, medical evacuation, and trip cancellation. Check the fine print, verify that your policy covers treatment in the US specifically. Many international policies exclude the United States due to high costs. ESTA and VWP entry does not include any health coverage.
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Important Contacts
Essential resources for your trip.
Special Situations
Additional requirements for specific circumstances.
Children need their own valid passport for international travel, no child endorsements on parent passports work. Period. If a child travels with one parent, grandparents, or another adult, carry a notarized letter of consent from the absent parent(s). The letter must authorize the trip, include travel dates, destination, and contact information for the non-traveling parent. CBP officers may ask to see this document. Divorced parents should carry custody documentation. Adopted children must carry official adoption papers. For US citizen children born abroad, carry a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) or US passport.
Dogs need a rabies certificate from a licensed vet, no exceptions. The shot must be given at least 30 days before entry and still valid when you land. Arrive from high-risk dog rabies countries, think swaths of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and the CDC piles on more rules. You'll need US-approved microchipping and serological testing. Period. Cats? No rabies proof required for US entry. Airlines can still demand it, check before you book. Every pet, dog, cat, parrot, must be declared to CBP on arrival. Service animals carry their own paperwork burden. Get the latest rules before you click "purchase." Contact CDC at cdc.gov/importation and USDA APHIS at aphis.usda.gov for current, country-specific pet import requirements.
90 days, that's your hard ceiling on VWP/ESTA. No extensions, no switching to most other visas, no begging for more time. Overstay and you're barred from VWP forever, future visits require a visa and your other visa odds drop. Need longer? Get a B-2 Tourist Visa before you fly. B-2 holders usually get 6 months at entry and can file a one-time extension, Form I-539, $370 fee, with USCIS before time runs out. Approval isn't guaranteed.
Certain criminal convictions slam the door on US entry. Moral turpitude crimes, drug offenses, multiple convictions totaling 5+ years, these trigger automatic inadmissibility. Answer 'yes' to any criminal history question on the ESTA form and you're done, no VWP for you. Instead you'll queue for a B-2 visa while a consular officer decides your fate. Minor traffic tickets? Generally harmless. DUI convictions? Different story, they can torpedo your plans. Got any criminal history? Call an immigration attorney before you even think about boarding that flight.
The B-2 tourist visa covers travel for medical treatment in the United States. When applying, you'll need a letter from your US treating physician, this must detail the nature of the treatment, its expected duration, and why it must occur in the United States. Bring proof you can pay for the treatment: bank statements, insurance documentation, or a financial guarantee from a sponsor. Travelers seeking medical treatment are typically admitted for the duration of their treatment plus recovery time, as determined by CBP. Ensure you have complete travel health insurance and, if necessary, medical evacuation coverage.
B-2 tourist visas and VWP/ESTA authorizations strictly prohibit employment or enrollment in a formal academic program. Working without authorization is a serious violation, deportation and future admissibility bars follow. Short unpaid volunteer activities or participation in tourism-related events may be permitted. Any compensated work requires an appropriate work visa (H-1B, O-1, etc.) obtained before entry. Similarly, attending a formal degree-granting program requires a F-1 student visa. Attending short workshops or conferences for personal enrichment is generally permissible on a tourist authorization.
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